


Cheer Me On

by wifiuwu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aobajousai, Cheerleader, Crushes, Fluff and Angst, Haiku, Karasuno, Nekoma, Oikawa is a pest, Pining Oikawa Tooru, Rivals to Lovers, Sad Oikawa Tooru, Secret Crush, Seijoh - Freeform, Tension, Unrequited Crush, Volleyball Dorks in Love, cheerleading, haikuu!! - Freeform, slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28757754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wifiuwu/pseuds/wifiuwu
Summary: Haven't written a fanfic in a while, but I'm in lockdown and obsessed with Toru Oikawa.Oikawa used to tease you mercilessly, follow you home, and would spend every spare second he had trying to wind you up. You found him incredibly irritating; He knew he was good looking, he would often call you his personally cheerleader and torment your squad, and made you feel strange and squeamish whenever he was around.It wasn't until cheer camp with Nekoma that you realised everything he did was because he liked you, and the reason why it bothered you so much was because you liked him too. Then everything clicked for a moment before unleashing a storm that you had no idea was coming.
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru & Reader, Oikawa Tooru/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

“Cradle!”, you called out before continuing to count loudly for the rest of your team to hear. Your voice held confidence, strength which carried throughout the gymnasium. It was the voice of a leader. “Jumps section! Five, six, seven, eight!”, you barked. Loud rumbles radiated throughout the gym as the whole squad hit the floor in sync before launching yourselves into the air once again for a double toe-touch.

You were the captain of Aoba Johsai High cheer team. You had started cheerleading around the age of eight. You can still remember how nervous you were when you first joined your squad. Standing there in black leggings, your favourite top at the time, and a plain white hoodie with a sauce stain on the cuff from your dinner.

Once you were at the end of your routine, the squad held their ending position. Heavy breathing and a few gasps for air could be heard as everyone waited patiently for Coach Fujisaki’s critiques.

“That was good, however, if you want to keep your first-place title, you’re all going to have to work a lot harder. That wobble during pyramid could be the difference between first and fifth place depending on how fierce the competition is this season”. That sentence was enough for you to know that she wasn’t going to ease up on you, regardless of your placement in each competition. “Again!”.

“I’m sure we’ve done over one hundred press-ups today”, Hana whined once practice was over and you were both in the changing room. She would have been vice-captain alongside you, if she hadn’t been so lazy and given up, claiming it was ‘too much work’. “I can’t feel my arms”, she complained. It upset you a little that Hana didn’t want to be your vice-captain, since the two of you had been best friends since about the age of five.

“I’m sure you’ll survive. How do you think I feel doing cheer practice during the week with you guys and on the weekends with my other squad!”, you laughed, taking of your training top and getting changed. “We did great today you lot! Let’s do even better in our next session and be the best we can be!”, you called out to the other girls in the room and they gave a little cheer back as you made a mental note to say the same to the guys on your team once you were outside.

You slowly came to a standstill as your ears perked up at a familiar voice. The sound of laddish laughter could be heard from the hall outside, and your jaw clenched, knowing too all too well who it was.

You had nothing against the men’s volleyball team, it was more their captain who got on your every last nerve. You had instantly taken a disliking to him upon first sight. He was so flawless it made you mad, and you only began to dislike him more once you noticed that he knew it. That massive ego of his- what you wouldn’t do to knock him down a peg or two. Not to mention the constant spiteful teasing he threw your way. Since you were the _it_ girl of your school and he was the _it_ guy, people assumed you two would naturally get together, but he was like a hurricane, and you were like a wildfire. The idea of mixing you two together seemed like complete and utter chaos.

Despite not wanting to run into the volleyball boys, you wanted to praise the guys on your team for today’s session. It was tough and everyone was tired, and you wanted to let your whole team know that you were proud of them. Unfortunately, they were taking a little longer than you would have liked. Because of this, some of the girls left after a minute of waiting, claiming they had homework or studying. Hana stayed by your side.

Eventually, Kadoma and Fujita made their way out into the hall. You smiled warmly at the pair. They were both on the tall side and well built. They were back spots for your stunts most of the time. Kadoma had fluffy black hair, whereas Fujita had hair that he had dyed grey on top but kept black around the sides. It was a hairstyle that should have looked awful, but for some odd reason, he made it work.

As you took a step toward them, three figures emerge from the male changing rooms; one with spiky black hair - Iwaizumi, someone who seems a little younger than the other two and looks as if he had an onion for a head with the way he’s styled his hair, and then there was him. Toru Oikawa. Just the sight of him sends a wave of emotion through you that makes you want to punch a wall. ‘Just ignore him. You don’t need the drama’, you tell yourself, but clearly Oikawa had other plans.

“Well, if it isn’t our little cheerleaders. Unfortunately, you missed our practice, but you can always make the next one”, he said in that voice that made your gut churn.

“In your dreams Oikawa”, you shot back, but before you could walk past the volleyball captain, he sidestepped in front of you. Hands in his pockets with that shit eating grin of his, looking down at you due to your height difference.

“I expect to see you right by the side of the court with a sign with my name on it. You can be my own personally cheerleader”, he hummed which set off a fire within you. It was taking all your might not to grab him and shove him against the wall. (One perk of being a cheerleader was that it made you strong from the amount of lifting and squatting you had to do).

“I’d rather break my ankles”, you said with the most sickly-sweet smile you could manage.

“Now, that’s a little harsh. Besides, I’m sure you’d enjoy cheering me on. Do you know how many girls would die to be in the position I’m offering you”, he pouted and patted your head. You grabbed his wrist and flung his hand off your head, the power from your harsh movement shocking him just a little.

“Come on Oikawa. Leave her alone. Clearly, she doesn’t want to talk to you, or is your ego just too big to notice”, Iwaizumi spoke up before Kadoma and Fujita approached the two of you. Fujita was just a little shorter than Oikawa, probably just by one inch, whereas Kadoma was probably a couple inches taller.

“We could be your personal cheerleaders Oikawa-kun”, Fujita faked swooning over the volleyball player, whereas Kadoma placed his hand on the male’s shoulder before leaning in close and whispering, “I’ll wear my prettiest skirt for you too”. The fear that began to creep across Oikawa’s face as he was sandwiched between these two made laughter bubble up your throat and into the air. “You two are scaring him! Leave the poor guy alone, he may think you’re being serious”, you taunted. “Come on, lets head home. We don’t have time to waste on him”. You bowed slightly to Iwaizumi and wished him a good night before turning your back and heading for the exit with the rest of your squad following closely. You were always polite to the other members of the volleyball team. It wasn’t their fault that they had twat for a captain.

“What is that guy’s problem”, Hana grumbled as you left the school grounds.

“Her, that’s his problem”, Fujita said, causing Kadoma to chuckle softly.

“You’ve got that right! Any time you’re in the same vicinity of each other, it’s like you have a gravitational pull on him, he doesn’t leave you alone”, the taller male added, running a hand through his dark hair. “I have to admit though, it’s always fun watching the two of you go at each other. I’m just waiting for the day when you snap and throw him down the hall”, he laughed.

With a pained sigh, you said, “I’m sure it’ll be one day soon”.

Once Hana had been picked up by her mum, the rest of you parted ways. Kadoma had offered to walk you home since you both lived in the same direction. “So, how are things going between you and Mina?”, you asked, hoping it wasn’t too much of a personal question.

“Things are going much better now. I understood where she was coming from. I know I spend a lot of time with you and the other girls at practice, but after you helped me and even offered to let her sit in and watch so we could spend time together while we take our breaks…”. A small smile crossed before he turned to look at you, brown eyes shining brightly in the moonlight. “I can’t thank you enough”.

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s the least I can do since you’re always there for me”. Eventually you were home. You thanked Kadoma before heading inside. You washed, ate dinner and then headed to bed, checking your phone first for status updates, messages, etc.

* * *

**Seijoh Storms Cheer Squad GC**

**Hana:** So, we ran into Oikawa on our way out…

 **Aoki:** Oh no!

 **Chiba:** Did he say anything to you?

 **Chiba:** Omg he’s so hot!

 **Ito:** He is quite cute…

 **Hana:** Obviously he was trying to tease our precious captain 

 **Yamada:** He could tease me all he likes

 **Ito:** OMG!

 **Hana:** Oh wow

 **Chiba:** Same!

* * *

You couldn’t be bothered to respond to the group chat, you were too tired to talk about your run-in with the heartthrob of the school. You decided to allow the girls to talk amongst themselves while you proceeded to get a decent night’s sleep.

The next day, school was going smoothly, but you couldn’t ever get a true moment’s peace while at Aoba Johsai. Much like your nemesis, being the prettiest girl at school meant you had your own little fan club that followed you around and you would often hear a new rumour pop up every couple of weeks. The only time you felt truly at peace was while at cheer practice, where all you focused on was hitting your routine, making sure every ounce of your energy was being poured into your performance.

It was lunch break. You, Hana and Aoki sat in class together and were discussing your upcoming competition, having finished your lunch already. Looking at your planner for the squad, you began listing off, “So we’re sharing Nekoma’s gym with the sprung floor next weekend, which should be fun! Then we have extra practice for the next two weeks after that, meaning we may clash with some other clubs, but we can make it work”.

“I love Nekoma! All the girls on the team are so sweet and fun!”, Aoki cheered while she sipped on a carton of strawberry milk before a sly smirk crossed her features. “But we’re gonna beat them at comp”.

“If we keep up the hard work”, you reminded the blonde, to which Hana nodded in agreement and added, “Yes, for all we know, new people may have joined their team who have insane tumbles, or they may have a stunt they perfected that scores high in complexity”. Aoki let out a sigh as she pulled her long blonde strands into a high ponytail, knowing you two were right, and as a result knowing that this season wasn’t going to be any easier than the last.

...

“So, what skills are you going to focus on perfecting at camp?”, Hana asked the two of you.

“I need to get better with my stunts as well as my flexibility. I wobble so much when I’m up in the air still. Besides, how am I supposed to go up in a stunt if I struggle to pull a stretch?!”. Aoki was accentually a replacement flyer. Your team’s best flyer had left last year as she went off to college, and Aoki was the only other flyer you had at the time. “I’ve just got to keep trying”, she shrugged and finished her drink.

“I’m going to be focusing on my back handspring since I only hit it half the time”, you laughed awkwardly. You weren’t the best on your team at anything in particular; Sasaki was the best flyer, Kandoma was the best at tumbles, Chiba was the best at stunts and Hanna was the best at jumps. But you were the most well-rounded member of the team, having enough talent in each area. Well, when you thought about it, you were possibly the best dance, but you didn’t want to give that label to yourself. You’d rather earn it.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you noticed a figure approaching you. You looked up and noticed it was one of your classmates. “There are two second years asking to see you”, he mumbled a little awkwardly. The three of you craned your necks around him to look towards the door from where you sat in the back corner of the room. There stood one girl with hair cut into a short brown bob with big shiny grey eyes- Ito, the other had long black hair tied back with the ends dyed a teal green to match the school’s sports uniform colours- Yamada. (You were sure she must have gotten into trouble many times for it being a violation to the uniform). You stood up and made your way to the door with a warm smile. “What’s up girls?”.

“We’ve been hearing rumours from some of the second years on the volleyball team that we’re sharing the gym with them for tomorrows practice”, Ito explained biting her lip anxiously. You were sure you felt your eye twitch out of irritation from this comment.

“Surely there’s been a mistake girls, or I’m sure they were just teasing you”.

_PING!_

The chime of your phone had caught your attention. You pulled it out in a hurry only to see a message from Coach Fujisaki had come through to the group chat.

* * *

** Seijoh Storms Cheer Squad GC **

**Coach:** I’m sorry to be the barer of bad news, but due to a mess up with the sports schedules for practices, double bookings were made by accident. Unfortunately, we will be sharing our usual gym with the volleyball team since the basketball team need the other gym more due to their upcoming game next week. After that, things will go back to normal.

 **Kadoma:** NOOOO!

 **Mori:** WHAT!?

 **Hana:** Don’t worry guys! It’ll be fine! Just stay positive!

* * *

You threw a glare back towards Hana for her message and huffed, “How can you be so positive at a time like this?”.

This was going to be the worst. Having the volleyball team there was going to completely throw you off. What if you messed up your routine in front of Oikawa!? That would only give him more reason to look down on you! You threw your head into your hands and let out a groan of irritation. “This is going to suck”.

You spent the rest of the day moping about, working at a slower pace than before. You tried to not let your thoughts get the best of you. How bad could it be? They would be focused on their practice and your team would be focused on yours, right? “Everything will be fine. I’m sure their coach will keep them in check”, Hana reassured you and you couldn’t help but smile softly at her kind words.

As the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day, you gathered up your things and began to make your way towards the front gates of Aoba Johsai. “Go home, have a warm drink, relax for the rest of the day and try not to worry about tomorrow”. You nodded, showing you understood. Hana gave you a sad smile and a quick hug before bidding you goodbye and heading towards her mum’s car. You weren’t sure what you had done to deserve a friend like that. You let out a soft sigh. She was right. Stressing over tomorrow was only going to make things worse. You pulled out your earphones, ready to listen to some music on the way home.

“Oh, I’m so excited for tomorrow, aren’t you?”, a voice practically sang- a voice you knew all too well.


	2. Chapter 2

You let out a huff and continue to shove your earbuds in. You hear a muffled protest before your left one is yanked out of your ear, causing you to snap, “What!?”.

“Don’t you know its rude to flat out ignore people?”, Oikawa huffs, now looking equally as annoyed as he falls into step beside you.

“Why are you following me home anyway?”.

Oikawa narrowed his eyes after hearing your response. “I’m not following you, I live in this direction too”.

You began to feel your cheeks heating up from embarrassment. You couldn’t believe how self-centred and big headed you must look after saying that, and now you were starting to blush!? Once again, you shove your earbud into your ear before he rips it out once again. You let out a growl of irritation before shooting him a glare. “Oh! Is someone getting angry?”, he practically purred, that coy smile creeping across his features.

“Can’t you go and bother Iwaizumi?”, you muttered.

“No”.

“Why not?”.

“Because you’re my little cheerleader”, He beamed, that teasing tone of his lacing each word. “And you’ll actually be able to cheer me on tomorrow. I bet you’re going to look so cute cheering just for me”. You turned to look at him and that damn smirk was plastered across his perfect lips. He was perfect to the point where it made you feel sick.

“Call me that again and I’ll high-kick you in that fat head of yours”, you warned.

“Sure you will”. You continued walking along the street in silence for a moment, debating whether or not to actually kick him in the head. “You know, a girl confessed to me today”, he then spoke up. You just furrowed your brows at his comment, not saying anything before he decided to continue. “I’m not sure what her name was, but she seemed sweet. She was very pretty too”. At this point your patience was wearing thin and you didn’t want to have to listen to Oikawa drone on about his numerous girls to choose from.

“Why are you telling me this? If you’re trying to impress me, it’s not working”. Oikawa’s smile faltered at your bluntness and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I’m not trying to impress you”, he mumbled with a scowl settling across his brow and you just scoffed in response. “Besides, I’m sure you’re already secretly infatuated with me; That cold tone you always use and the way you glare at me…”. It was then that you caught his eye, the sunlight reflecting in them making him seem so angelic, yet you knew he was the devil in disguise. “Don’t act like you’re not interested”, he added with a wink which set off something within you, like a pulse of electricity that made your nerves fizzy and as a result, made your blood boil. You decide to walk ahead of the other, but he quickly catches up. Having long legs giving him the advantage. “So, will you wave your pompoms about and cheer every time I hit my serve tomorrow?”.

“No, and you really don’t even know the first thing about cheerleading, do you?”.

“Pssh, there’s not much too it. You just dance around and cheer other teams on during their games”.

“Oh yeah, and all you do is hit a ball”, you snap back. The number of times you had heard people assume that cheer was nothing more than you cheering on other teams, you had grown sick of it.

Just up ahead, you could see the turning to your street. You hurried along wanting this encounter to come to an end as soon as possible. Oikawa was still rambling on, yet you weren’t paying any attention to him. Once you finally turned the corner and began walking down your road, you had noticed something… Oikawa was still there, walking along side you. “What are you doing?”. Oikawa slowly came to a stop and stood still, but you didn’t stop to wait for him.

“I’m walking you home, of course”. After a moment, he hurried to catch up with you once again. “You live down this street, don’t you? I saw you enter your house once on the way home with Iwa-chan”. Oh great, so he’s been stalking you. You were sure this guy gave you a headache just by existing.

Eventually, you made it to your house and began to head inside. “Aren’t you going to thank me?”, the volleyball player called after you. You turned to face him, cocking an eyebrow at his statement.

“For what?”.

“For walking you home”, he said with that sickly sweet smile you had thrown his way last night during your little run in after practice. “If you’d like, I can walk you home more often”.

Your nose crinkled in distaste at the thought of walking home with him every day. It gave you an uneasy feeling and your stomach flipped, causing you cringe. “No thank you”, and with that, you entered your house, leaving the other outside.

…

“My mum noticed him in front of the house with me and asked if we were dating!”, you laughed before fake gaging and Aoki and Hana laughed along with you.

“I’ll admit though, you two would make a cute couple”, Hana confessed, pushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. You shot her a look of disbelief. Yes, other people you were not close to had told you that, but this was the first time hearing this from Hana.

“Can you imagine the power you two would radiate?! The school heartthrob - captain of the volleyball team, charismatic and pursued by all, and the best-looking girl in school- “

“I’m not the best-looking girl in school”, you interrupted Aoki.

“Yes, you are, shut up!”, she shot back before continuing to sing your praises. “The cheer captain, a force to be reconned with and so caring and selfless!”. The blonde let out a squeal of delight at the image she was creating. “You two would have such beautiful children!”. As those words left her mouth, you gave her a quick smack on the shoulder, resulting in more laughter from the other two. “His fan girls are going to be so jealous of you though”, she pointed out just as your phones vibrated. You all pulled them out before letting out a squeal of delight, causing a few of your classmates to jump or peak over in confusion.

“We’re getting our new uniforms!”, Hana was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. “They’re going to look so pretty with the diamonds and the mesh!”. You three could hardly contain your excitement. You wanted to run down the halls of the school with how pumped you felt right now. Getting a new uniform was always an exciting time. It was as if a uniform, that you felt good in, and looked good in, helped to boost your confidence during performances.

The group chat for your team was going crazy with the news. Even Fujita responded with enthusiasm, and he usually didn’t respond to the group chat at all. “This is just what we need to motivate us to keep working hard and stay on track”. The girls nodded in agreement with what you said, still dawning ridiculously wide grins.

…

Thankfully, the rest of the day was relatively quiet. You did have a few people during lunch visit your class to ask if Oikawa had really walked you home, but you had decided on telling everyone the truth; yes, he had walked you home after school, and nothing else happened. That was all anyone needed to know, and it was the truth. You did find it funny how invested people were in other’s lives.

As you entered the changing room, you could feel the buzz of excitement in the air. You held the box of uniforms in your arms that you had collected off of Coach Fujisaki and every pair of eyes turned to watch you. “Here they are!”, you announced with a huge grin across your lips, to which the girls squealed in response. You opened up the box as your team huddled around, and there they were.

Infront of you lay teal, white and predominantly black uniforms with matching bows. The words Seijoh Storms gleamed across the front of every uniform in a shiny black material that had been studded with diamonds. The sleeves were mostly mesh with diamonds also scattered along them. Everything about them was beautiful, even if the school colours weren’t your favourite. “They are going to look so good under the lights at comp!”, Chiba gushed, trying to reach in to grab her uniform. She wasn’t the most patient member of your group. Not wanting to wait any longer you handed out the uniforms for the girls to try on and practice in for the first time if they were comfortable.

You looked yourself over in the mirror, twisting side to side to make sure it looked right. Thankfully, it was snug, but hugged all the right places. You were happy with it. The first year Sasaki’s uniform was a little loose on her, whereas Chiba and Mori’s uniforms were a little too tight. “Take them off and we’ll let coach know”, you smiled warmly and waited for them to change.

Finally, you were all ready. Everyone who fit their uniforms decided to wear them for practice, which you were ecstatic over. Maybe a little too ecstatic as you had completely forgotten who was joining you in the gym today.

You walked in giggling and twirling around to show off your uniform when you noticed Oikawa out of the corner of your eye. Everything seemed to stop for a moment, or at least slow down. He was staring at you, expressionless. It scared you a little. You couldn’t read him. You held each other’s gaze for a moment. His eyes looked you over once and returned back to your own before you tuned away. You felt a weird shudder spread over you before shoving out of your mind.

“Warm up! Both teams will be running around the hall for three minutes starting… now!”, and with those words from Coach, the training session you had been dreading began.

For the whole warm up, you felt like the other team’s captain was constantly right behind you, making you slightly uneasy. During stretches, you made sure you were facing the direction of the other team to make sure their eyes weren’t wandering to anywhere inappropriate but doing this just made the situation worse. You captains kept catching each other’s eye and exchanging glances. Oikawa’s earlier funk had worn off, so now he would throw a wink or a smirk your way every now and then. You would just roll your eyes in response.

Coach Fujisaki started up the music and you began marking through your routine. Once you had done a hard mark, that’s when the fun began. You got to your starting positions and took a moment for yourself. You closed your eyes. You took a deep breath. You settled your mind. Then the music started. You put your heart and soul into this full-out. As if it were competition day. You we’re sure your jumps had reached a new hight. Every stunt was hitting perfectly (With the occasional wobble here and there). During pyramid section, Kadoma threw you a cheeky wink, knowing that the routine was going well.

After pyramid, your heart began to pound a little harder. The final section was coming up, Dance.

Once you hit that first count and that first motion, it was like you were unstoppable. The routine being muscle memory at this point. You hit every motion as sharply as you could. You made sure your facial expressions were the best they had ever been; throwing in winks and cute smiles whenever you could. The way your body moved was sharp like a blade, but smooth like silk when it needed to be and with every beat of the music, every count you hit, you made sure each movement counted in scoring points for your team.

And then it was over. The music had stopped. The movement had stopped. You and your team stood in your end poses, with you at the very front. Your heart was still pounding like mad, so much to the point that you hardly noticed that the court next to your mat had gone silent.

“Very good. High levels of energy, but like I said during last practice, there are still a few wobbles in the stunts… Fist stunt group positions. We’re drilling them today”, Coach ordered, to which you all nodded before moving like machinery to your places.

For about an hour, you worked on stunts getting two breaks around each thirty-minute mark. Once you had rested for three minutes, you were up on your feet once again, this time heading towards your tumble positions. You threw a smile Hana’s way as she knew you wanted to practice tumbles. The order went; Hana, Aoki, Kadoma, then you and Yamada doing a synchronised tumble pass. Coach Fujisaki began counting. You watched as Hana set the section off with a running roundoff and backwards walkover from the back left corner to the front right. Aoki was quick to follow, crossing over the opposite way with the same skills. Kadoma then set for his back handspring from the front centre before landing and going into his backflip before doing a dive forward roll to the back of the mat.

Finally, it was your turn. You began with your running start, but as you began to go into the roundoff, you noticed Yamada hesitate for a moment. A sense of dread began seeping over you. You can’t hesitate during tumbles. You either go on time, or you don’t. The hesitation caused the other girl to land incorrectly and before you knew it she was too close then-

_CRASH!_

You let out a cry, quickly gripping your head and the whole team held their breath. You heard Fujita and Hana call out your name, concern showing in their voices. When you finally opened your eyes, you could just about make out your team standing around you, tears obscuring your vision.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”, Yamada began blabbering, her hands over her mouth in shock. You brushed her off as these things happen, but damn did that girl have a powerful kick.

“Yamada! Fifty press ups! Now!”, Coach barked, making her way over. “Come and sit out”, she ordered as Fujita lifted you up in his arms and carried you off to the side.

“You okay, angel?”, he asked with a warm smile as he placed you down, tapping his tongue piercing nervously against his teeth. It was a habit of his that you had noticed.

“Yeah, it just really fucking hurt”, you laughed through the pain, hearing your coach lecturing the others in the background. Fujita used his thumb to gently wipe away your tears as best as he could, smiling sadly at you as you rubbed the back of your head.

“We’ll keep watch over you, but if you feel sick, sleepy or blurry vision, let us know, okay?”, he rubbed your shoulder reassuringly before heading back to join the team and continue running the routine.

You continued rubbing the back of your head, wincing at the stinging pain and trying to suck up your remaining tears.

“Hey, you okay?”, Oikawa asked as he took as seat next to you. You eyed his suspiciously before asking, “Don’t you have practice to be getting on with?”, but not in your usual feisty tone. It was safe to say being kicked in the head had taken a bit of your fighting spirit out of you. “We’re on a break. I’ve got time to talk”, he explained, to which you only responded with a simple nod.

Oikawa then pried your hands away from your head and stared at your scalp. “Thankfully there’s no sign of blood, and no bruising beginning to form. I think it must have just been a bit of a nasty knock”, he reassured you. You couldn’t help but smile softly.

“Thanks”.

“I must admit, I’m impressed. Cheerleading actually seems quite-… well… extreme”, he chuckled awkwardly.

“Ah! So, you’re admitting cheerleading is more difficult than volleyball?”, you quirked a brow at him in slight disbelief.

“Well, I don’t know about that”. His response caused you to laugh slightly. Of course, he’d say no. You just wanted to see his reaction. “I do have more respect for your sport after seeing your routine and what you have to go through”, he then added, staring at his trainers as he fiddled with his water bottle in his hands.

“I’m sure volleyball has its own challenges too”, you shrugged, the pain beginning to subside now. You noticed a smile tugging at Oikawa’s lips as a result of your comment and you couldn’t help but feel your heart soften a little.

“So, what happened to all that fire you normally have. By now you would have threatened me at least once”, he pointed out, but you quickly shot back, “Well, being kicked in the head does take it out of you”, causing the brunette to laugh. But this time, it was different. He was actually laughing. No sinister or malicious undertone. For a moment, you thought you could get used to this.

“Break’s over Lazykawa”, Iwaizumi called out and you couldn’t help but stifle a laugh at the name he used.

“Okay! Okay! I’m coming”, Oikawa barked as he stood up. “I’ll keep you company on my next break if you’re still sitting out”, he offered, then he was back on the court, leaving you alone, and slightly stunned.


	3. Chapter 3

“Your routine is amazing! I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys win nationals again”, one of the girls from Nekoma complimented you before taking a sip of her drink as you neared the end of your second day of training camp. She was a first year, so you weren’t too close with her just yet.

“Thank you, but don’t talk down about yourself. Your team has the same chance of winning nationals as us. Last year there was only naught point five between our scores!”, you pointed out to her, causing her to smile warmly at how kind you were being.

Cheer camp was going smoother than ever. Everyone was getting along, the routines were hitting well, and thankfully there were no injuries- so far.

Nekoma’s coach was great with tumbles and stunts, where as Coach Fujisaki was brilliant for teaching sharpness and technique, hence why you were able to score so highly at competitions. Combining the two made for incredibly training sessions. Sure, they made you leave the gymnasium every day having produced your own body weight in sweat, but at least you knew you were working hard.

You and your friend (the team captain from Nekoma) would often teach dance as Akari had been cheerleading and dancing competitively almost her whole life, and you just had a natural flare as well as a passion for it.

“Okay! One last full out each and you guys are good to go!”, Coach Adams called out. He was from the US and had witnessed some of the best teams competing. You weren’t sure if he had ever actually competed himself, but he had a lot of experience, which was impressive enough.

Nekoma was first up on the mat. Unlike your gym, the had a sprung floor. You guessed it was one of the perks of living in a city. It was easier to obtain these things for training, and they had more space.

Nekoma’s routine was eye-catching and punchy. (Their songs were a little cheesy). Their stunts were extreme, making it difficult for their younger team members to keep up, resulting in them dropping stunts more often and major wobbles. This run-through, they managed to hit everything perfectly. Whether or not this was a fluke, you weren’t too sure. Perhaps this training camp really had improved you all. You were beginning to grow anxious that your winning streak may just be broken this year.

Once their routine was at an end and the music had faded out, you all cheered and applauded for your friends. Akari walked straight up to you, beaming victoriously. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little worried about our winning streak after seeing that”, you chortled.

“Don’t worry! As much as I love my team, we lack the sharpness and technicalities that scores your team those extra winning points”, she sighed before taking a gulp of her water.

“Sejioh! You’re up!”, Coach Adams called out, and you had to admit, you were a little anxious. This was the last run of the day. You had to make it count. Your routine was difficult too, but Nekoma had the advantage that nearly everyone on their team could back handspring or back tuck. But when you were lacking in one area, your team made sure to make it up in another area. You also had to remind yourself that complexity wasn’t everything, especially if you couldn’t pull it off.

Once the music started though, your focus was ripped away from your thoughts and only focused on the routine. As you counted along to the music, you reminded yourself how the jumps section had changed, as well as your second stunts section. New twists and extra jumps had been thrown into the mix. Tumble section went smoothly this time. No kicks to the head. Finally dance came, and your team gave it your all. Since it was the end of your routine. With the final pose struck, you finished your routine, earning cheers from the Nekoma team.

“Well done guys! Now you’re starting to look like champions”, Coach Fujisaki smiled softly, and you could tell from the faint gleam in her eyes that she was truly happy with that run through.

“Thank you, Coach!”, your team said in unison before shuffling back to where you had sat before off of the mats.

“Well done today everyone! You’ve done yourselves proud!”, Coach Adams beamed proudly. “But training camp is not over! We still have one more day to work on our routines. Make sure to rest up tonight and have a decent meal, we’re starting training at nine O’clock tomorrow morning”.

“Any latecomers get fifty push-ups”, Your coach added, and with that, day two was over.

…

“Ahh! It smells so good!”, Chiba practically moaned down your ear as Akari brought in the food along with Aoki and Kadoma, as well as one of the Nekoma boys Sato. Sato and Kadoma were so similar in personality, it was almost scary. Sometimes they would even catch themselves speaking in sync with one another and then give each other this stupid smile, which you loved them for.

“Are we even going to be able to eat all of this? I hope this isn’t a waste of money”, Hana stressed.

“Whatever we don’t eat tonight, we can have as leftovers tomorrow for lunch”, Hara (One of the Nekoma girls) shrugged casually.

Once all the food was set out and once you had said your thanks for the food, you all began to dig in, the room falling silent for a moment as you allowed yourselves to enjoy the flavours of each dish.

“So, have you broken up with that bitch yet, Kadoma?”, Akari tutted, causing Kadoma and the rest of the team to shoot her a puzzled look before Fujita chipped in.

“I think you’re getting his girlfriend Mina confused with my ex, Goto”, he chuckled softly before you and Hana burst into fits of laughter at how rude Akari had just been to Mina for no reason. “And I dumped him. He was an asshole anyway”, Fujita concluded before munching down more food.

“I am so sorry Kadoma! I thought it was your girlfriend-“

“It’s fine! It was a mistake”, he laughed along with the rest of you. “But I won’t be telling Mina what you said any time soon”, and with that, Akari only began to blush more from embarrassment.

“Speaking of relationships; Have you met anyone new Shimada-chan”, Hana wiggled her brows towards Akari, while the other stared down at her food, a sly smile creeping across her features. “Well, there is this one guy I’m talking to”, she grinned, earning a cheer from the room. “But that’s all I’m saying. We’re not serious at the moment. But what about you Suzuki?”.

Hana bit her lip. “Oh, I’m not looking for anyone right now… But our dear captain here has an admirer!”. She used her hands to signal towards you in a slightly overdramatic manner, just as your cheeks were stuffed with food.

“Huh?”, was all you managed to respond with before both teams practically pounced on you, bombarding you with questions.

“His name is Oikawa”, Hana smirked, causing you to laugh and almost choking as you do so.

“Not that same prick who’s on your school volleyball team!?”, Iwasaki groaned, causing you and your team to stare at him, dumbfounded.

“How do you know him?” Kadoma asked, tilting his head slightly as he did so.

“My best friend is on the school volleyball team. They’re friends with the team from Karasuno and they all think he’s a stuck-up, pompous, pretty boy who irritates everyone”, Iwasaki explained. You couldn’t help but frown. For some reason you felt yourself wanting to deny his claims, despite witnessing them first-hand. “You should hang out with us some time!”, was all you heard as you noticed you had zoned out for a second.

“Well, you don’t have to worry anyway. We don’t like each other-“.

“Oh, come on! It’s so painfully obvious that he likes you!”, Aoki bursts out. “He walks you home, he teases you, calls you his own personal cheerleader, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you during practice and he even sat out with you every single chance he got when you were injured”. Your jaw hung loose as you stared in shock, but Aoki wasn’t finished. “And you like him too! He’s all you ever think about- All you ever talk about!”, she bit her lip nervously, noticing that she may have just caused a scene. “I don’t mean to sound so mean, I’m just pointing it out since it seems to just be you and him who haven’t noticed”.

You couldn’t help but glance around at the other members of your team, and they all seemed to be agreeing. Was it really that obvious? Did you really spend that much time talking about Oikawa? Did you like him?

All those run-ins began to run through your mind. How every time you two crossed paths after practice, you got that feeling. Sort of like feeling sick, but in a good way. You felt on edge whenever he was around. He gave you a rush of adrenaline. He made your heartbeat quicken. Sometimes you even wanted to run into him, just as an excuse to argue with him. Or the ways you two would look at each other, like at practice the other day when you walked into the gym. How he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of you the entire time. Then there were times when you’d be caught staring at him. Usually in the corridors of school when you would notice him at the opposite end, wondering if he was going to tease you, or even look your way.

…

For the rest of your last night at Nekoma, you kept tossing and turning in your makeshift bed. There was a strange aching feeling in your gut which would on the odd occasion flutter up to your chest before disappearing once more.

What were you going to do? You couldn’t just tell him you liked him, could you? No, you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing you liked him. If you did feel that way about him of course. But you couldn’t just start acting friendly with him. After all the cold and venomous responses, you threw his way. Like how he had walked you home and you shut the door in his face.

You cringed at the memory. If your friends were correct, you could only imagine how awful you must have made him feel. Yes, he may have been incredibly irritating, but how could you tell that was his form of flirting!? That dork!

How would you face him now that you knew this information about him? Especially since now even thinking about him made your stomach do flips.

You allowed your mind to wander for a moment about the possibility of the two of you being together. You could picture him expecting you to turn up to all his games, wanting you to wear your cheer uniform. You could already see the disappointed looks that would cross his fan’s faces as he would ask for a victory kiss.

What would his kiss feel like?

His lips always looked soft. Never chapped. You always overheard others gossiping about how they had heard he was such a gentle kisser. You pictured how his arms would wrap around you and pull you in close. How he would make a cheeky comment and as you were about to retort he would hush you with his lips.

You were now a blushing mess, burying your face in your sheets, as if hiding yourself from the world would make these feelings of confusion and excitement disappear.

It was far to early to tell if your friends’ assumptions were true. Perhaps you should test the waters the next time you see him? For one you should definitely be less hostile towards the poor boy.

You sighed softly and rolled over for the last time.

‘Fuck you Oikawa’, you cursed in your head. You needed your sleep for the final training session tomorrow. How were you going to train properly when you’ll be functioning off of four hours of sleep because all your mind wanted to do was think about the pretty volleyball player back home


End file.
